The natural landscape is essentially a continuous mosaic of natural habitats. Human land uses have consumed
habitat and drastically changed the vegetation and hydrology of the landscape. In Minnesota, the native prairie in the southern and western
parts of the state has been largely replaced by agriculture, and in some instances, logging has resulted in younger and less diverse northern forests. As
people use the land, the natural landscape is divided into ever-smaller pieces by elements like railways, utility lines, roads, houses, and
parking lots. The remaining natural areas, or fragments, are reduced in size and degraded in quality, resulting in a decline in plant and
animal populations, and the disappearance of some sensitive animal species and plant communities.
View a comparison of Presettlement vs. Modern Day natural communities in three counties across the state.

While many development features like roads and power lines are essentially permanent, the effects
of fragmentation can be mitigated by:

Placing very high priority on protecting existing large tracts of habitat,

Restoring land and water connections between existing habitats, creating wildlife corridors, and